So, Marcus & I opted to go to A-Day on Saturday rather than making it to his niece's 4th birthday party. (I know some of you are shocked, that means you don't know me & Marcus). Alabama football is very important in our house. It is a form of tradition & entertainment that we celebrate every Saturday every Fall. I actually have not been to an A-Day in a few years, we are usually out of town, & at first I thought we may miss this one due to Regan's birthday (and the fact Regina would not let us make it a Bama-Birthday), but Marcus was adamant from the day he knew the two would occur at the same time that we would be in the stadium not Calera.
The morning began with the Tide Pride luncheon at the Coliseum. The coaches talked, Saban's was short & sweet. We ate & spoke with some wonderful people. We attended it with Aubrey & Cheyenne Martin. (she looks so cute pregnant -they are having a girl!!) Aubrey holds the same feelings as Marcus = Alabama not party. He even has a sister that he doesn't speak to anymore because she married an Auburnite & painted the kids' bedrooms orange/blue!
After the luncheon, we wandered towards the stadium. Stopping at the Bama Bookstore to visit Marcus' old boss & good friend Hal. The walk there was unreal. You would have thought Spring & Summer had just been whisked away & opening weekend was here already. Vendors were everywhere, RVs, tailgaters, kids, music, football chants, students, it was surreal. I truly was surprised the number of people outside the stadium was staggering. Marcus & I had already begun to feel like this was the biggest crowd we had been around for an A-Day, but when we walked into the stadium we were in awe. All but one side of the upper deck & the new section of upper deck was full. I mean full, as in my first question to him was "will we be able to find a seat?" We climbed the steps in the student section and found 2 wedges of area in the middle of a row near where we used to sit when we were students. The band was in the section beside us so the air was full of music & excitement. Of course this is just a scrimmage, catch 22 type of situation. You want your offense & defense to look good, but with a scrimmage it is hard to do that as well as the coaches are only going allow so many plays to be seen since it is televised and your opponents are usually watching. The second quarter rolled around and as I glance in the seats around me the overhead speaker announced that the other two decks were now open. In minutes the seats were flooded.
There we were, 92,000+ faithful, watching a scrimmage covered in Crimson & White. Cheering with the band, the wave flowed through, and I almost teared up. So many of these people will only be able to attend this game (it is general admission), so many children will only see these days. It is a sad yet happy thought. The faithful showing their belief, their hope, their faith, their love of an institution. We had a blast. The game was good, Marcus laughed because I told him I was rooting for the Crimson team (they lost though 20-13).
Overall the beginning of our day, the bulk of the day was a blast!! Don't worry, we did go to Regan's house afterwards to celebrate her birthday... each gift wrapped in Bama paper of course. She had a great day, enjoyed our gifts & company and even kissed me on the cheek & whispered a ROLL TIDE.... what an end to a great day.
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I just had to tell you that while working at the clinic one day and ESPN was on Jeremy and Brian could not believe that 92,000 people would show up for a scrimmage... My reply was well you've never seen college football until you've been to the south!
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